Thor Forums

[nosticks]

After a few months and very little usage, I was just doing a routine wash job and general clean up. After washing, I opened the outside kitchen to get a beer from the refer. Everything from the counter top on down was wet. The small pull out under the sink was full of water.

I first thought it was the gasket around the opening, which was installed with the utmost Thor efficiency, twisted and coming apart in places as are most of the other compartments. I bought some automotive weather strip and removed and installed the new properly. Then I closed the access door and gently ran some water down the side above the door opening. When I opened the door, once again everything from the counter top on down was soaked.

The sealant around the compartment looked good, I mean it's only a few months since new and has traveled very little. But, it was the sealant. If you pored water from a cup against the side above the opening, you could see it disappear. So I resealed it with some very good sealant. Not silicone and not the water soluble junk from the home stores, but rather some clear stuff that needs mineral spirits to remove and clean up. Next day, no water leaks.

My conclusion to this problem is two fold. One, not sealed properly at the factory. Two, the gas struts that support the door when open are very powerful, as they should be. I open and close that compartment several times a week in the driveway, keep cold beer in there. I think this frequent opening and closing against the strong gas struts puts stress on the hinge area which is part of the upper flange around the door. This causes the sealant to separate.